Cobby's balloons

[Vin]

This site credits Cobby with 29 victories including 5 balloons. Cobby wrote an autobiography “High Adventure” . The Forward, by Air Marshall Sir George Jones, who flew with Cobby in 4 AFC, says 24 Destroyed, 5 Out of Control and “several” Balloons. An appendix to the book was written by Major W A McClaughry (McCloughry ?), Cobby’s squadron commander at 4 AFC. The appendix describes squadron organisation in the field. It lists the scores of the 4 AFC pilots and credits Cobby with 24 Destroyed, 5 Out of Control and 13 Balloons. Does anyone have information which might clear up the discrepancy in the number of balloons credited to Cobby ?



Vin

G'day Vin,
In "Australian Airmen" - The history of $ AFC written by Richards, it states the Cobby got 24 enemy aircraft destroyed and 5 OOC, does not say anything about balloons, so it raises the point where balloons counted as aircraft on the squadron books?

Regards,
Andrew

>so it raises the point where balloons counted
>as aircraft on the squadron books?

80 Wing had a chalk scoreboard on a wall in one of the admin buildings that listed each squadrons victories by type from July 1st to 11 Nov. The categories included, In Flames, Crashed, OOC, Driven Down, Ballons Destroyed.

Interestingly of 80 Wing, 4 AFC had 22 Balloons Destroyed, and 46 RAF only 1. None of the other squadrons had any claims of balloons on the chalk board.

Looks like Balloons were recognized targets. No idea why Cobby's balloob count is credited as 13 by McClaughry.



cam

[Vin]

I suppose if a bloke has trouble getting his name right, his numeracy might be suspect too. According to Cutlack, “Balloon-strafing” became very popular among the pilots of 4 AFC in June 1918. That might account for the discrepancy between its results and those of 46 RAF.


Vin

[Vin]

If McCloughry was right, then that would put Cobby right up there with the other balloon busters, Schlegel, Hennrich, Haegelen Ambrogi, Freidrichs and .....


Vin